Straight from the brand new issue of Metal Hammer, on sale next Wednesday, comes this awesome Machine Head review of new album ‘Through The Ashes Of Empires’. Be sure to pick up the new issue for Hammer also have a special in depth feature with Robert Flynn. MACHINE HEAD THROUGH THE ASHES OF EMPIRES Back to the old skool for Robb Flynn and Co.! 1994 – Machine Head turn the metal world on its head with the brutal debut album ‘Burn My Eyes’, a record that reassembled the hoary thrash clich퀌©s into a fiercely combative modern form. 2003 – for the first time since that debut, Machine Head deliver an album worthy of their talent – and of mainman Robert Flynn’s fighting spirit. Yep, it’s taken nearly a decade – and three interim studio albums – but at long last the Bay Area bangers have reclaimed lost ground, found their focus and taken a massive stride towards re-establishing themselves as one of the planet’s pre-eminent metal masters. ‘Through The Ashes Of Empires’ is a mighty record, a tribute the unshakable belief of Flynn and his current team, including new guitarist Phil Demmel. It’s angry, confrontational, ferocious, yet also displays an appropriate subtlety when required. Fuelled by personal demons, Flynn delivers some of the most emotionally scarred vocals of his career to date – have Machine Head ever done a better song than ‘Left Unfinished’ wherein Flynn exorcises resentment about his real parents, while openly attesting love for his adopted mother and father. It’s both harrowing yet inspirational. And has the man ever expressed his character better than on ‘In The Presence Of My Enemies’, when he vows to protect his own – at whatever cost. The music is deadly, breathtaking and convincing. The songs are passionate and eloquent. The best album from Machine Head since ‘Burn My Eyes’? Definitely! The best album of their career? Possibly. This is inspirational metal. MALCOLM DOME [9] And it’s not just Metal Hammer, Rocksound awarded the album 8/10, and Total Guitar gave it 5/5! ‘Through The Ashes Of Empires’ is out on MONDAY.